Paula Vennels says she’ll hand back CBE

[Andthereyougo]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67925304

Sorry about gobbledegook title. Phone is playing up.

I didn't want her to give it back. I wanted it taken away from her so she would have to face just a bit of the public shame and disgrace she was happy to inflict on others even when she knew that the Horizon software was faulty. When she finally faces the committee of inquiry I hope she is questioned very closely about her behaviour and actions.

I believe that the PO still use Fujitsu computer systems because they are still under contract.

Nobody has charged Fujitsu with wrongdoing. Hopefully the current police investigation will result in the responsible being named, shamed and charged like the innocent postmasters and postmistresses. Can’t believe how long it’s taken to get to this point and they still haven’t had their money or convictions overturned.

Vennells still is a priest, just not one in active service. Not sure what the process is to remove her from the priesthood.

@VisionsOfSplendour To be honest I'm not clear on the exact link but there have been plenty of media reports citing him as an 'involved person' so one can only assume he was aware to some capacity.

Well, she never asked for a CBE, she was awarded one, in the New Years Honours list, i'd like to know why she got one, who authorised it? these people are the ones who should also be held to account.

The PO scandal started in 1999 & it continues up to the present day.

Innocent people owe money, dont have pensions, have criminal convictions, families are left knowing their parents or children committed suicide.

the CBE is the least of it tbh.

Ministers of all parties, CEOs, people in Fujitsu... over the last 25 years have ALL got off scot free and probably will do.

To me, this women and Ed Davy are handy scapegoats for all the other crooks involved.

the other question is "Why did it take a TV drama to get Sunak of his arse?"

The Met is investigating two Fujitsu 'experts' (who I think gave evidence at the civil case) for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

@jasflowers Ed Davey isn't a handy scapegoat, he ignored the opportunity while working as postal minister (or whatever his job title was) to make sure he was fully informed. It's pathetic to say he was lied to. His job as a minister is not to be lied to. It's that simple.

He should go. He loves suggesting other people resign when they do the slightest thing wrong. Time to apply his own standards to himself.

Good. Will she be now facing a court to answer some questions and maybe a prison sentence like so many of the post office workers did? No doubt she will ever face the sort of financial difficulties she let them suffer though.

What about Michael Keegan)

My point is there were many ministers before and after Ed Davy, of course he should be held accountable BUT so should ALL the others... not pin it on one or two people, which prob what will happen.

Labour and Conservative ministers inc current ones are all to blame.

However, when it comes to technical questions, they have to rely on what they are being told, if an expert says the Horizon s/w cannot be accessed remotely, how the heck can a non techie challenge that?

But when you have 100s of cases all pretty much the same, you either have to think "the PO attracts criminals" or you have question what you re being told.

He was postal affairs minister at a key time when the prosecutions were taking place. He turned down a meeting with Alan Bates. He is on the record saying he wished he done more. So why didn't he? What stopped him?

If this were someone else, he'd be first in line calling for their resignation.

And if he's so easily duped to be apparently unaware of the horrific miscarriages of justice which Alan Bates wrote to him about, how on earth can he be trusted to be a future prime minister which is what he would like?

I was trying to decide this morning whether PV had fled the country for an impromptu off grid holiday to avoid the media or if she was cowering in a dark corner of her house. She must be the most despised woman in Britain atm.

i bet she keeps all the bonuses shes been paid

The most sickening part is that she was paid a bonus for ensuring the PO turned a profit. Possibly a profit off the back of the money the postmasters were forced to pay which they never even owed.

During the most active period, between 1999–2012, the Post Office brought 735 successful prosecutions, an average of 52 a year (Publications UK Parliament)

Davy was at the back end of it all.

So we have Conservative govt in power at the start of it, Labour in power during most of it & a Conservative administration who did SFA about the ensuing mess.

As i said, ALL politicians have to be held to account, the danger with going after one person is the Govt will then stop and say "oh look we got the bastard" happy to ignore their role in it all too.

Organised religion nutters are usually the worst people. Hold everyone else to high moral standards in public while being absolute filthy scum themselves and laughing about it.

Doesn't surprise me at all.

@jasflowers I've never said other ministers shouldn't be held to account. But Davey is hardly a scapegoat.

And Labour were in it from the start - they were in power from 97.

With regards to Fujitsu, the BBC reported earlier

'Mr Hollinrake suggested this could include possible legislation. He also said that Fujitsu - the technology company behind the faulty software - and anyone else found to be responsible should be "held accountable including making any payments" towards victims' compensation' - lets hope there's pressure for this to happen. You just can't treat people like this and get away with it.

I'm obviously aware of this case, but I haven't watched the TV drama.
What really baffles me is how the PO could justify thinking that suddenly, out of the blue, all these postmasters were stealing money. Did no one ever think "hang on, this is weird, we've had one dodgy postmaster in the last 50 years, and now we've got 5 in a year"? What was the justification for ignoring the apparent massive coincidence?

If you read some of what's come out in the public inquiry, it's looking increasingly like a cover-up by PO and Fujitsu to protect reputation/share price.

They realised early on that Horizon was faulty but by then it was too big to fail. They assumed they could scapegoat the postmasters while they tried to fix the problem.

His job as a minister is not to be lied to.

Do you want to think about that for a moment? How does that work?

Er by asking probing questions and by meeting with a member of the public (Alan Bates) who had written directly to him requesting a meeting to discuss the serious issues afoot at the Post Office.

Maybe, as a postal minister, that might have been his remit? Or you think maybe not?

Have you read the letter Ed Davey wrote to Alan Bates?

As a lot of people have said, where was the investigation into where the money had actually gone - did forensic accountants look at postmasters' bank accounts or did the PO just accept the Horizon figures? because if you're taking money out of the till then you're hiding it somewhere.